Austin Craig’s biography argues that José Rizal’s life and writings shaped Philippine nationalism and that youth inherit the responsibility of reform. The deck covers the dedication, Robertson’s assessment of Craig’s method, Rizal’s views on criticism and sovereignty, and Chinese background including Lam-co.
1 / 65
Chapter 1 · Question
According to the dedication, why does the nation rely on its young people?
WakeCards · wakecards.com · Big ideas. Quick review.
Chapter 1 · Answer
The dedication argues that those accustomed to absolutism cannot comprehend democracy, except for a few men of great genius. Therefore the nation relies on its young men and women, the rising instructed generation, for the secure establishment of popular self-government in the Philippines. It notes this was Rizal's own idea, expressed through the old philosopher in "Noli me Tangere," who said he wrote not for his own generation but for a coming, instructed one.
WakeCards · wakecards.com · Big ideas. Quick review.
Arrow keys move between cards. Space or Enter flips.
All questions and answers
Every card in the deck, in reading order. Click a chapter to expand. The reviewer above uses the same content.
Introduction4 cards
According to the dedication, why does the nation rely on its young people?
The dedication argues that those accustomed to absolutism cannot comprehend democracy, except for a few men of great genius. Therefore the nation relies on its young men and women, the rising instructed generation, for the secure establishment of popular self-government in the Philippines. It notes this was Rizal's own idea, expressed through the old philosopher in "Noli me Tangere," who said he wrote not for his own generation but for a coming, instructed one.
Chapter 1
What does the dedication tell Philippine youth to do with what they read?
The dedication says public school education gives the democratic viewpoint that Rizal's genius gave him, and that the Blair-Robertson translation offers more about the country's past than the British Museum gave Rizal. It urges youth to follow Rizal's example: neither accept anything because it is written nor reject it because it clashes with prejudice, but study out the truth for themselves.
Chapter 1
What does Robertson praise about Craig's method of writing Rizal's biography?
Robertson says Craig, saturated with details of Rizal's life, showed good taste in selecting only incidents and phases that exhibit greatness of soul and the factors most potent in shaping Rizal's character and actions. Robertson contrasts this with Boswell's often wearisome minuteness about Johnson. He adds that Craig described ancestry fully, showed how selective principle worked through generations, and included outside influences and historical matters.
Chapter 1
What single drawback does Robertson find in Craig's biography, and why?
Robertson calls it paradoxical but says the only drawback is the lack of more detail: one leaves the book wishing to know more of the actual intimate happenings. He considers this the best effect a biography can have on a reader, apart from its instructive and moral value. He also says the book is not only a biography but a history, since it mentions many historical matters of Philippine and world-wide interest.
Chapter 1
CHAPTER I4 cards
According to Craig, what was the purpose of studying Philippine history?
The author argues that the study of free ideas is now the most important feature of Philippine history, and that profit, not pride, should be the object of studying the past. Earlier histories were little more than lists of governors and incidents flattering to Spain, ignoring past mistakes and so leaving the way open for repeating old errors.
Chapter 2
How did Rizal view honest criticism of government, according to the chapter?
The author reports Rizal's view that criticism serves governments as symptoms serve the sick: warned in time, a government can correct the cause before serious consequences. A nation that represses honest criticism, like a person deadening symptoms with dangerous drugs, is lulled into false security that may prove fatal. Rizal tried to impress this on Spain's government, with fatal results to himself.
Chapter 2
What did Rizal want for the Philippines regarding Spanish sovereignty?
Rizal did not believe the Philippines could stand alone as a separate government. He therefore desired to preserve Spanish sovereignty while bringing about reforms and conditions conducive to advancement, pointing out colonial shortcomings that caused friction and prevented progress. His proposed changes, the author says, would have benefited Spain as much as the Philippines.
Chapter 2
Why does the author say Rizal's execution was unjust under the laws then in effect?
The author argues that even if all charges were true, no case was made out against Rizal at trial. He lacked safeguards like the presumption of innocence, and the courtroom was filled with enemies clamoring for his death without rebuke from the court. Under the laws then in effect, the author concludes, he was unfairly convicted and should be considered innocent.
Chapter 2
CHAPTER II4 cards
Why did the Triad Society's initiates take a blood compact, and what did the society actually want?
Initiates pledged in a blood compact to "depose the Tsing [Tartar] and restore the Ming [native Chinese] dynasty," but the chapter says the society really wanted only gradual reform and was against violent change. It began as evolutionary, though a dissatisfied section later started another society, while the original brotherhood kept trying to educate its members.
Chapter 3
What did the Chinese patriots believe was the real cause of their country's conquest, and what did they do about it?
The author states they realized the easy conquest and the people's disregard of bad government showed something was wrong with themselves. Too wise to wage hopeless war, they sought better government by deserving it, working for general enlightenment, believing an intelligent people could not be kept enslaved, and that otherwise freedom would merely mean another tyranny.
Chapter 3
Why did the better class of Chinese emigrate to the Philippines from 1642 through the eighteenth century?
The chapter says overcrowding was mainly the cause of Chinese immigration, but the better class of emigrants who joined the Filipinos from 1642 on seem to have been influenced by other considerations. Apparently they left to avoid the shaven crown and long braided queue the Manchu conquerors imposed as a sign of submission.
Chapter 3
What does the chapter say about Lam-co's baptism and social standing?
Lam-co was baptized in the Parian church of San Gabriel on a Sunday in June 1697, aged thirty-five, parents Siang-co and Zun-nio, taking the name Domingo for the day. He had a Chinese godfather and married years later. His leadership at Binan and marriage to an educated Chinese's daughter suggest he was above the ordinary class, since education was the Chinese test of social degree.
Chapter 3
CHAPTER III (part 1)3 cards
How did Spanish Freemasons end up in the Philippines, and why did it matter?
Progressive Spaniards had become Freemasons. When Spain went to war with England, they were suspected of sympathy with England and treason. A papal bull by Clement XII placed their institution under excommunication, and execution sentences were commuted to banishment as minor officials overseas. Craig argues that in no other way could liberalism have been spread so widely or more effectively, since Cuba, Mexico, and the Philippines received able advocates of modern ideas.
Chapter 4
What does Craig claim about the Inquisition and forced labor in the Philippines?
Craig says the Inquisition in the Philippines affected only Europeans; an Irish doctor and a merchant accused of being Freemasons were dismissed with warnings by a kind-hearted friar inquisitor. He also states the sufferings of Indians in Spanish-American gold mines had no Philippine counterpart, since at the friars' instance the Church early forbade enslaving the people. He notes no records warrant believing friars or government were responsible for severe punishments from 1872 to 1898.
Chapter 4
Why were Binan's people considered more cultured than those in remote places?
Binan was near Manila and Cavite, had rich gardens, and lay on the road to the fashionable baths at Los Banos where higher officials resorted. Friars attended Sunday and fete services, giving them city-church dignity, and Dominican notables and China missionaries sometimes appeared. Fruits of American origin came via Mexico into the hacienda gardens. Craig says such opportunities gave a sort of education, so Binan people had a broader outlook than those whose only knowledge of Spain came from a single friar curate.
Chapter 4
CHAPTER III (part 2)4 cards
What did the Tagalog book by a friar argue about liberty and education?
The friar's Tagalog catechism-style book, about a traveled municipal captain enlightening his townsmen, suggested liberty was possible only for the intelligent. It noted that schools, newspapers, libraries, and means of travel enjoyed by American colonists were not provided for Filipinos, and contrasted the French Revolution's path as repugnant with the American path as approved. The author intended pious, patriotic results, but readers drew different inferences.
Chapter 5
How did the 1819 cholera riot in Manila benefit Philippine progress?
When a French ship from India brought Asiatic cholera in 1819, Manila's lowest classes blamed a French naturalist's collections of insects and reptiles, attacking his dwelling and then all foreigners. No Spaniard suffered. The government punished minor offenders and apologized, but aggrieved nations obtained compensation: greater security for foreigners and removal of many restraints on commerce and travel, making the riot a substantial step in Philippine progress.
Chapter 5
What did the proposed sale of Florida and Spain's offer to sell other colonies reveal to Filipinos?
Spain sold Florida to the United States under compulsion, after American troops under General Jackson restored order Spain could not. The sale suggested Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines were available assets, and Spain offered to sell them to the King of France, who balked at the price; the ambassador withdrew the offer. Filipinos learned the 'sacred integrity' of Spanish dominions was a meaningless phrase.
Chapter 5
Who was Gobernadorcillo Mercado, and how is he described?
Known as 'Captain Juan,' Mercado was a municipal captain in Binan, depicted in a painting with official sword, cocked hat, and embroidered blouse. He was noted for generosity, absence of oppression, and official honesty, unlike many holding his office. He changed tribute lists so his family were enrolled as 'Indians' rather than 'Chinese mestizos,' lowering their tribute, compensating for paying taxes of those who died or moved away.
Chapter 5
CHAPTER III (part 3)4 cards
What professions and positions were represented among Mrs. Rizal's relatives?
The chapter lists lawyers and priests as the old-time proof of social standing among Mrs. Rizal's relatives. Felix Florentino was first clerk of the Nueva Segovia (Vigan) court; Jose Florentino was a Philippine deputy in the Spanish Cortes and a lawyer of note, as was his brother Manuel. Clerk Reyes served in Manila's Court of First Instance, and Father Leyva and Father Alonzo were priestly relatives.
Chapter 6
How does the chapter describe Mrs. Rizal's education and its effect on her?
Mrs. Rizal was baptized in Santa Cruz Church, Manila, on November 18, 1827, as Teodora Morales Alonzo. She received an exceptionally good fundamental education from her gifted mother and completed her training at Santa Rosa College, Manila, run by Filipino sisters. The chapter says the religious influence of her schooling especially manifested itself in her later life.
Chapter 6
What does the old Pampangan lady claim about Lakandola's blood?
The chapter reports that an old Pampangan lady, well posted on her ancestry, traces her lineage from Lakandola's time and asserts that the blood of that chief flowed in the veins of every Filipino who had the courage to stand forward as champion of his people from the earliest days to the close of the Spanish regime. The chapter notes this is her boast, not established fact.
Chapter 6
What does the chapter say about clerical records at Santa Rosa College?
The chapter states that no records exist in the institution because, it is said, all members of the Order who could read and write were needed for instruction and no one competent had time for clerical work. This is offered as the explanation for the absence of records about Mrs. Rizal's schooling there.
Chapter 6
CHAPTER IV4 cards
Who were Rizal's parents and where and when was he born?
Rizal was born June 19, 1861, in Kalamba, the seventh child of Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y Quintos. He was christened three days later, with Father Rufino Collantes baptizing him and Father Pedro Casanas as godfather. The chapter notes the family had recently built a new home in central Kalamba on a lot Francisco inherited from his brother.
Chapter 7
How did Rizal's mother and uncles shape his early education?
His mother directed his first studies, laying a foundation almost without books; at three he insisted on learning letters to share an elder sister's lessons. Three maternal uncles trained him: Jose the teacher handled regular lessons, Manuel built his physique, and Gregorio taught him that nothing worth having comes without effort, encouraging rapid work, independent thinking, and careful observation rather than servile copying.
Chapter 7
What was the significance of Father Leoncio Lopez in Rizal's childhood?
Father Leoncio Lopez, the Kalamba parish priest, was a strong personality notable among Filipino secular clergy, described by John Foreman as remarkable for broad intelligence and sanity of view. The well-behaved boy became a welcome visitor at the convento, listening respectfully as the priest spoke of matters interesting to thinking Filipinos, then asking sensible questions that earned careful explanations rather than dismissal. The chapter suggests he partly inspired a priest in 'Noli Me Tangere.'
Chapter 7
What did the 'Foolish Butterfly' reading lesson reveal about young Rizal?
His mother read him the tale of the disobedient butterfly burned by the lamp flame, translating it into Tagalog, with the moral being obedience. Watching moths singe themselves in the coconut-oil lamp, the boy missed the moral entirely: he envied their fate and thought the light worth dying for. The chapter says this early notion that some things are worth more than life foreshadowed his later martyrdom.
Chapter 7
CHAPTER V4 cards
What did Jagor's book predict about the Philippines' future?
The German naturalist Jagor, in his Travels in the Philippines, suggested it was the fate of the North American republic to develop and bring to highest prosperity lands Spain had conquered and Christianized. He believed the Philippines could no more escape American influence than mainland countries had, and hoped the Islanders would first become better able to meet competition from the vigorous young people of the New World.
Chapter 8
How did Rizal's mother finally obtain her release from prison?
After a series of trumped-up charges ranging from cruelty through theft to murder, her little daughter danced before the Governor-General while he was traveling through the country and won his approval. When he asked what favor he could grant, she presented a petition for her mother's release, and Mrs. Rizal was enabled to return home.
Chapter 8
What effect did his mother's legal persecution have on Rizal?
The greatest influence on Rizal during this period was the sense of Spanish judicial injustice in the legal persecutions of his mother, who, though innocent, was treated as a criminal and held in prison for two years. Doctor Rizal tells us it was then that he first began to lose confidence in mankind.
Chapter 8
How did Rizal first gain local fame as a painter?
At a festival in Kalamba an important banner was accidentally damaged with no time to send to Manila for another. A councilman suggested Jose Rizal had shown skill with the brush. The gobernadorcillo went to his home, and Rizal speedily produced a painting the official declared better than the expensive Manila banner, making young Jose the hero of the occasion.
Chapter 8
CHAPTER VI4 cards
Why did Rizal leave the Philippines secretly to study abroad?
The chapter says Rizal had to leave his country "stealthily like a fugitive from justice" to obtain a better education. His family, to avoid persecution, professed ignorance of his plans; his name was still entered at Santo Tomas with fees paid, and Paciano pretended to be searching for him in Manila. The author notes it was no easy task for a provincial lad to leave the Islands for study abroad.
Chapter 9
What book powerfully influenced Rizal in Madrid, and with what effect?
Rizal bought a second-hand copy of Eugene Sue's "The Wandering Jew" to improve his French. He wrote in his diary that it affected him powerfully, not to tears, but with tremendous sympathy for the unfortunate, making him willing to risk everything on their behalf. The chapter says he then began writing down and revising youthful recollections, preparing half of what became "Noli Me Tango."
Chapter 9
Why did Rizal drop his plan for a collaborative propaganda book?
Rizal suggested a book telling the truth about Philippine conditions, illustrated by Filipino artists. At the planning meeting, however, each member wanted to write about the Filipino woman, and other subjects scarcely interested them. Disgusted with this trifling, Rizal dropped the affair and never again showed much enthusiasm for such popular movements; the author says his more mature mind put him out of sympathy with the younger men.
Chapter 9
How did Rizal prepare for European travel, and why?
Rizal studied languages to prepare for travels he intended from the time he left home. He began English in 1884, studied French during and after his voyage to Spain, acquired Italian largely through reading Italian translations, and started German without advancing far. The chapter says he knew only by knowing a country's language could he study its people, compare them with his own, and learn useful lessons for Filipinos.
Chapter 9
CHAPTER VII3 cards
Why did Governor-General Terrero summon Rizal after his return to the Philippines?
Terrero summoned Rizal by telegraph to Malacanan out of interest in the author of "Noli Me Tangere" and a desire to read the novel, which the Manila censors had recommended prohibiting based on copious extracts. Terrero disregarded the censor's recommendation and, fearing Rizal might be molested, assigned Lieutenant Jose Taviel de Andrade as his bodyguard; the two became fast friends.
Chapter 10
How did Rizal respond when a cousin accused him of caricaturing her in the novel?
Rizal made no denial but suggested the book was a mirror of Philippine life, with types that unquestionably existed in the country. He said that if anyone recognized a character as picturing himself or herself, that person would do well to correct the faults the character displayed as ridiculous.
Chapter 10
What did Rizal observe about America through Chicago's cigar stores?
Rizal was struck by the many cigar stores each with an Indian figure in front, apparently no two alike. The unexpressed idea was that America retained and popularized remembrance of the land's first inhabitants and their dress, while in the Philippines knowledge of the first inhabitants was obtainable only from foreign museums.
Chapter 10
CHAPTER VIII4 cards
Why was Manuel Hidalgo deported, according to the chapter?
Hidalgo was deported on the recommendation of the governor of La Laguna for burying a child who had died of cholera without church ceremonies. The chapter says the law prescribed and public health demanded this, but the governor wanted "to prove to the Filipinos that they were mistaken in thinking that the new Civil Code gave them any rights" where the governor-general agreed with a subordinate's request.
Chapter 11
What trap was planned to lure Rizal back, and why did it fail?
Rizal's mother and a daughter were arrested in Manila for "falsification of cedula" because they no longer used the name Realonda, dropped fifteen years earlier, and were ordered to walk to Kalamba for trial despite available boats. The chapter says the family understood the plan and told Rizal not to come to Manila; the persecution then dropped.
Chapter 11
How did Rizal's articles reach the Philippines despite censors?
Rizal contributed articles on Philippine matters to the Hongkong Telegraph, edited by his friend Frazier-Smith. They were printed in Spanish ostensibly for the Filipino colony in Hongkong, but large numbers were mailed to the Philippines and at first escaped the censors. Eventually the scheme was discovered and the Telegraph was prohibited, but too late to stop circulation.
Chapter 11
What was Rizal's connection to Jose M. Basa's anti-Jesuit proclamation?
The chapter says a proclamation by Jose M. Basa, a '72 exile, against the Jesuits figures in the case against Rizal and bears minor corrections in Rizal's handwriting. The author argues Rizal's participation was probably no more than proofreading for a friend whose motives he appreciated but whose plan of action was not in harmony with his own ideas.
Chapter 11
CHAPTER IX (part 1)4 cards
Why did Rizal refuse to stay with the Jesuit parish priest in Dapitan?
The priests planned to restore him to his childhood faith and mapped out a plan to make him feel his loneliness. He was denied residence with the priest unless he declared himself genuinely in sympathy with Spain. Rizal, a good Catholic, was unwilling to make hypocritical professions of admiration for Spain, so he boarded with commandant Carnicero instead.
Chapter 12
What was the Liga Filipina and what did Rizal intend it to achieve?
A league seeking to unite all Filipinos of good character for concerted action toward the country's economic advancement, a higher standard of manhood, and education opportunities for talented Filipino youth. Rizal also urged resistance to oppression by lawful means, believing no one could fairly complain of bad government until all legal resources were exhausted. The plan originated with Jose Maria Basa; Rizal drafted the constitution.
Chapter 12
How does the chapter distinguish the Katipunan from later robber bands?
The chapter says one must distinguish the first society, limited in membership, from the organization of the Aguinaldo 'republic' days, when adherence to the revolutionary government entailed membership. Neither of these two Katipunans bore any relation, except in name and emblems, to the robber bands whose patriotism consisted in robbing defenseless countrymen while avoiding anyone able to defend themselves.
Chapter 12
What did Rizal do with the five-hundred-peso fee from a rich Englishman?
He devoted it to lighting the town of Dapitan. His hospital patients, many coming from a distance to the oculist, paid liberally and became a source of revenue, while the community also received free treatment for its poor. The settlement at Talisay kept growing, with a school of about twenty taught by Rizal from a hammock, emphasizing mathematics and teaching English as well as Spanish.
Chapter 12
CHAPTER IX (part 2)3 cards
Why did Rizal's planned marriage to Josefina Bracken fall through the first time?
The priest said the Bishop of Cebu must consent and offered to write him. Rizal feared a political retraction would be demanded but submitted a statement on his religious beliefs. Before it was mailed, he reclaimed it because Mr. Taufer, having learned his blindness was incurable and that Josefina planned to marry, attempted suicide with a razor; Rizal stopped him, and Josefina left for Manila with Taufer.
Chapter 13
Why did Rizal and Josefina eventually live together as man and wife without a church ceremony?
Rizal reconsidered marriage, possibly because the priest might be stricter the second time. His mother suggested that since Spanish law established civil marriage but the governor-general had pigeon-holed the royal decree, treating themselves as civilly married was less sinful than a political retraction. Any marriage so bought would be as little a sacrament as a civil one, and the latter avoided hypocrisy.
Chapter 13
What suspicion did Rizal hold about Josefina's presence in Dapitan, and what did he do about it?
Rizal wondered how a foreigner was permitted by a suspicious, absolute government to join him when Filipinos were kept away. Her frequent visits to the convento prompted him to voice this openly, but two days of weeping on her part made him avoid the subject thereafter. Secret archives later suggested his impressionable character was to be reached through his family's sufferings.
Chapter 13
CHAPTER X4 cards
Why was Rizal arrested en route to Spain, and where did the cablegram reach him?
The chapter says Polavieja's promotion was bought, it is said, to replace Blanco with a more willing tool. Once that scheme was arranged, a cablegram ordering Rizal's arrest was sent, and it overtook the steamer at Suez, so he completed the journey as a prisoner. Earlier, Blanco had given him letters vouching that he was not implicated in the conspiracies.
Chapter 15
What did Rizal's December 1896 manifesto to Filipinos say about the uprising?
Rizal condemned the uprising as absurd, savage, and plotted behind his back, saying it dishonored Filipinos and discredited those who could plead their cause. He denied any part in it and urged his countrymen to return home. He stated that reforms, to be beneficial, must come from above, and that education must precede liberties. The proclamation was not allowed to be made public and was used against him.
Chapter 15
What happened to Paciano Rizal during the effort to implicate José?
The chapter states an unsuccessful effort was made to get evidence against Rizal by torturing his brother Paciano. For hours he sat with a thumbscrew on one hand and a pen in the other before a confession implicating José in the Katipunan uprising. He was hung up by the elbows until insensible, then cut down so the fall would revive him. Three days of maltreatment left him too ill to sign, and he was carted home.
Chapter 15
Why did the habeas corpus attempt for Rizal in Singapore fail?
London friends arranged a petition to the Supreme Court of the Straits Settlements, with Regidor providing legal inspiration, Baustead the funds, and Sir Hugh Fort retained. It argued Rizal was held without warrant of law on a ship in British jurisdiction. But the mail steamer carried Spanish soldiers and flew the royal flag as a national transport, making it floating Spanish territory, so the judge declined to issue the writ.
Chapter 15
XI. The After Life In Memory4 cards
What does the chapter's list of illustrations reveal about Rizal's artistic output?
The list documents numerous works by Rizal himself: oil portraits, pencil sketches made during his travels, carved busts of his father and Father Guerrico, clay models of a Dapitan woman and girl, statuettes such as The Victory of Death over Life and The Mother's Revenge, and drawings of fishes caught at Dapitan. It also reproduces manuscripts, letters, and translations, showing his activity across visual art, writing, and science.
Chapter 16
Which documents in the chapter relate to Rizal's education and research abroad?
The list includes Rizal's application, recommendation, and admission to the British Museum, a photograph of Morga's History in the British Museum, a trilingual letter, and a page and dedication from his translation of Andersen's Fairy Tales. These facsimiles show his study and translation work in London and his use of the museum's collections.
Chapter 16
What items in the list concern Rizal's family and the land troubles?
The list includes portraits of Rizal's parents and a family-tree he made in Dapitan, plus photographs of his parents during the land troubles and a facsimile of the writ of eviction against his father. It also includes a memorial to Jose Alberto in the Binan church and a carved portrait of Josefina Bracken with her baptismal certificate.
Chapter 16
What objects in the list relate to Rizal's imprisonment, death, and memory?
The list shows the cell where Rizal was imprisoned, the Cuartel de Espana, his wedding gift to his wife, a photograph titled Execution of Rizal, the burial record from the Paco register, his grave in Paco Cemetery, the alcohol lamp that hid his farewell poem, and monuments and parade floats honoring him, including the accepted model for the Rizal Monument.
Chapter 16
CHAPTER XI4 cards
How was Rizal's burial site kept hidden, and how was it later identified?
No visitors were admitted during the interment, and guards watched the grave for weeks lest Filipinos steal the body or clothing as martyr relics. The exact spot was meant to be unknown, but friends of the family among the attendants dropped a marble slab into the grave bearing the initials of his full baptismal name, Jose Protasio Rizal, in reversed order.
Chapter 17
How was Rizal's 'Mi Ultimo Adios' discovered and preserved?
A Dapitan schoolboy who had attended the imprisoned teacher brought an alcohol cooking-lamp to Rizal's widow and a sister. At midnight they emptied the tank and used a hairpin to dislodge a tightly folded sheet of notepaper wedged out of sight. It bore verses in Rizal's handwriting; the boy hastily copied them, mailing the copy to Mr. Basa in Hongkong, while the women took the original and fled to Cavite.
Chapter 17
Who did the author say desired Rizal's death, and who did not?
The author argues the volunteers were especially responsible, their clamor having made Rizal's return possible and their demands for his death prominent at the so-called trial. Landlords and friar orders opposed the campaign against their parishes, but probably no organization desired his death. His old teachers wished his return to the faith, and his death was certainly not in their plans.
Chapter 17
What happened to the dozen Liga Filipina members executed two weeks later?
A dozen other Liga Filipina members were executed on the Luneta two weeks after Rizal. Francisco Roxas, a millionaire, had lost his mind and, believing he was in church, spread his handkerchief on the ground and knelt on it as in childhood. Moises Salvador, crippled by torture so he could not stand, had to be laid on the grass to be shot; the others died standing.
Chapter 17
L.4 cards
What did Rizal's article contrasting English and Spanish prisons describe?
After inspecting the colonial prison with L. P. Marquez, Rizal wrote "A Visit to Victoria Gaol," which contrasts the English system of imprisonment for reformation with the Spanish vindictive methods of punishment. The chapter calls this contrast pathetic, presenting English practice as aimed at reform while Spanish practice aimed at revenge.
Chapter 18
Why did Rizal consider a British North Borneo colony for Filipinos?
The British North Borneo Company offered Rizal vacant lands, and officials wanted abaca, cacao, sugar cane and coconuts grown by skilled Philippine laborers. Rizal hoped to transplant persecuted people of the Luzon lake region, such as the Kalambans, to a freer home where a "New Kalamba" under the British flag could prove Filipino capability and influence reform back home.
Chapter 18
What did Rizal's sealed letters to Doctor Marquez reveal about his motives?
Rizal left two letters in Hongkong marked "To be opened after my death," one to family and one "To the Filipinos." He wrote that duty and principle urged him, that he did not regret his course, and that he risked his life to free innocent relatives and friends suffering on his account. He asked that the letters be made public after his death.
Chapter 18
How did Despujol's conduct toward Rizal prove deceptive?
The consul's cablegram saying Rizal had fallen into their trap was dated the same day as the secret case filed against him for anti-religious and anti-patriotic agitation. Despujol also confidentially asked whether Rizal was a German subject and what that meant for deportation. The chapter argues Rizal's fate was settled before he reached Manila, despite the safe-conduct.
Chapter 18
Source and licence
Text used: Project Gutenberg eBook #6867 (Public domain in the United States). Generated from the full text; cards paraphrase the source.
Version: Public domain edition. Retrieved 2026-10-26. Cards reviewed 2026-10-26.
These cards paraphrase the text for study. They are not a substitute for reading the book, and they do not reproduce long passages.
Turn your own notes into cards
Upload a PDF, Word, or text file and get question-and-answer cards for closed-notes practice. Five cards are free, no signup.